Coming Home To You
by halfbloodedprincess1
Summary: OneShot, focuses mainly on Brooke on her prom night, and how things turned out how she'd wanted, except not. Who she ends up with is a complete surprise. Hope you enjoy!


A/N I don't normally do one-shot but this just begged to be written. Also I don't even like the character of Peyton, but somehow I GENUINELY miss the Breyton friendship.

Warnings: Nothing really. Just one little word.

Hope you enjoy!

No one had expected for Brooke Davis to arrive at the Tree Hill High School prom alone. Especially not Brooke herself. And sure she had offers. Too many to even count. But in the end it seemed the only thing that fit. For far too long Brooke had been much too dependant on the approval of the opposite sex. Tonight she really just wanted to enjoy being independant. Before arriving at the prom this had seemed like a good idea...but now, she was questioning her sanity. She'd envisioned prom in a certain way since junior year. She would spend hours getting ready for the dance with Peyton Sawyer. They would help with each others hair and make-up, telling each other how perfect the other appeared. Then their dates, Jake and Lucas would show up. For Brooke the idea of going to prom with anyone other than Lucas Scott was insane. Lucas had been her first and only love and in the months since they had broken up she had done nothing but wonder what life would have been like had she not lost the guy and girl of her dreams in one swift blow. Of course they were still around, but for the past few months it was nearly impossible to find one without the other, and though she honestly was pleased to see them both happy, that was a bit too much for even her to handle. So here she was, walking into the fairy-tale themed ball room of the Tree Hill Grand. She pretended to not notice the 180 or so pairs of eyes that swiveled to look at her when she walked in, thirty minutes late, and completely alone. She was good at pretending now.

The first truly familiar face she spotted was Haley Scott, who even at seven months pregnant looked amazing. She had made Haley's dress, that did a good job of concealing the pregnancy depite her huge stomach. Haley smiled when she saw her but before she could wave her over, a group of juniors had surrounded her and were rubbing and cooing at her stomach. Brooke tried not to look amused and sighed. The dance floor was now packed with couples and Brooke sat down at an empty table, sipping off the glass of sparkling cider a waiter sat before her. Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder and she looked up into familiar pale green eyes.

"Hey Peyton. You look beautiful." Brooke took in her best friends appearence, meaning the compliment whole-heartedly. Peyton had on a soft pink dress, a color the girl would normally balk at wearing but one that looked perfect on her. It was strapless and showed off a good deal of leg. Her now shoulder length hair was pulled half up with an antique clasp and she had on very subtle and sweet looking make-up.

"Thanks Brooke. I was about to say the same to you." Both girls smiled and Peyton looked across the dance floor. Brooke didn't need to look to see the person who made Peyton smile that way.

"I have to go, but I'll see you later. Word on the street is, you're a shoe-in for Queen." Brooke smiled at Peyton's words but on the inside she was cringing. If she won prom queen she would have to dance in front of the whole school with king, who would most definitely be Lucas. Of course this had a lot of different implications. But mostly she just wanted to avoid that situation completely. She was just about to make a run for the bathroom when someone stopped directly in front of her. In a tux Lucas looked even more handsome than usual. His hair had been trimmed and was now short, back to its normal shade of dark blonde. And the half smile he was wearing made her heart skip out of beat.

"Lucas, hey." She tried to keep her voice warm and even. They were friends, friends talked at prom. They maybe even danced. Which, when he held out his hand,seemed like his exact intention. She hesitated for a long second before placing her hand into his. It seemed like a thousand volts of electricity went through her body when his rough palm met her soft, satiny skin. She felt her heart leap into her throat and she knew she couldn't talk if she didn't want to break down. He looked her up and down once she was on her feet and she felt her neck and cheeks heating up.

"You're stunning Brooke." She smiled softly. So maybe she had spent extra time in the mirror just for that reaction. But the look on his face was more than priceless. Any other time she would have taken that look as one of love, of need. It was the way he used to look at her. The reason she had stopped meeting his eyes since they'd broken up, so she wouldn't have to see it missing. But there it was. Her dress was a deep emerald green and made of the softest satin she'd ever felt. It was very low cut, and draped across her body like it was made for her. Her hair was down, long and loose in curls and she had on very little makeup, with the exception of some very dramatic eyeliner and shimmery bronzer. She was stunning but that really could only go so far. He didn't hesitate as the slow song started, taking her in his arms and holding her close. She couldn't help but melt into his touch, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her cheek against his. She couldn't help the tiny sigh that escaped her lips. She couldn't help the lonely tear that slipped down her cheek and onto his. And when he pulled away to look at her she couldn't help but stare into those clear blue eyes.

"Brooke, I need to tell you something." She shook her head hard, not wanting to hear anything he had to say, especially not if he was going to apologize.

"I need to Brooke. Peyton and I broke up about a week ago." She stepped away from him.

"What? Why didn't didn't anyone tell me?" Lucas kept a firm hand on her waist, seeming as if he were afraid she would run.

"We wanted to. Peyton and I couldn't do more than just a friendship. It wasn't meant to be. I didn't want to tell you right away, I wanted to work stuff out in my head and in my heart. Then tonight I saw you and Peyton told me that I needed to follow my heart. And I did." She looked up at him, eyes sparkling with tears. She couldn't say a word so instead she slipped back into his arms, and just let him hold her as they swayed to the music. She couldn't keep going back and forth like this, of being so unsure of whether he wanted her or her best friend. It wasn't fair. After a long time she pulled away.

"Lucas, I can't do this. I can't keep having my heart torn apart. I can't be with you for months just to have you change your mind again." He shook his head.

"Peyton and I tried it and it didn't work. Something in me needed to know that for sure. I'm sorry. I didn't want to regret anything." She pulled away from him, a sad smile on her face.

"Luc thats the thing. You should have been sure. You should have known you wanted me. You shouldn't have had to fuck my best friend to realize it." She paused for a second, letting her words sink in, and turned, walking out just before they started announcing the Prom King and Queen. She didn't care.

An hour later she lay on her bed at Rachel's house, sobbing, her beautiful dress in a ball on the floor. Her knees were tucked into her chest, her mascara leaving streaks down her cheeks. He had said the words she'd wanted to hear for months now. And it had been so wrong. Her whole body shook from her sobs and it was good to finally just let go. She cried until her throat was sore and their were no tears left. And then she felt a cool hand on her shoulder, smoothing her hair back. She knew who it was without looking and thats why she let them wipe her tears and make-up away with a damp cloth, pull her covers over her and press a kiss to her forehead. She felt safe again as the person climbed into her bed, wrapping their arms around her. This was home. This was the only place she'd ever belonged. She snuggled into the arms of the one person who'd always been there, letting her best friends curly blonde hair tickle her cheek.

"I love you P.Sawyer." She heard the other girl sigh.

"I love you too B.Davis. I'm so sorry for making you ever question that." After that their tears mingled with each other as they cried over the friendship that would never again be what it was, and the boy who stood in the middle of it all.


End file.
